Connector housings which carry a plurality of electrical terminals in respective terminal receiving cavities have numerous discrete wires which exit from an end of the connector housing. Within the housing, each wire is terminated to a respective electrical terminal. When installing these connector housings and wire assemblies in an end product, such as an automobile or an appliance, frequently these discrete wires can become snagged or tangled because of the disorganized condition of the wires exiting the connector housing. In order to prevent individual wires from snagging during installation, and thus reduce the potential for disconnections of the wires from their respective electrical terminals, electrical connector manufacturers have commonly utilized wire dressing techniques, including the use of shrouds which collect and organize the individual wires exiting the connector housing.
Another problem associated with snagging of wires, either individually or collectively, is that the electrical terminals connected to those wires may become dislodged or completely removed from their respective terminal receiving cavity. If this occurs and the terminal is not properly seated within its terminal receiving cavity, when the connector housing is connected with a mating connector, the electrical integrity of the connection may be compromised. To address this problem, electrical connector manufacturers frequently design connector housings which contain locking members that are intended to retain the terminals within their cavities. In addition, secondary locking devices are used in combination with such locking members to provide further assurance that terminals will not be inadvertently extracted from their cavities. These secondary locking devices are usually separate members which are inserted into the connector housing and around the terminal cavities and their associated locking members. Generally, the secondary locking device acts as a back-up to primary locking members. The secondary locking devices typically reside within the connector housing, thus increasing the overall size of the connector housing and increasing the complexity of the connector, thereby making assembly more difficult.
In addition to secondary locks, true position assurance devices (TPAs) are frequently employed to ensure that terminals are fully inserted into their terminal receiving cavities and are, therefore, correctly positioned for locking within the connector housing. TPAs most commonly function by urging terminals which are not completely inserted into their terminal receiving cavity into proper position within the connector housing.
Often, a shroud and separate secondary locking and TPA devices are employed in order to reduce the likelihood of displaced terminals and snagged conductors. Used in combination, these devices provide terminal position assurance, terminal locking, wire dressing and strain relief for the conductors which are exiting the connector housing.
Because size constraints, ease of manufacturability, and cost are all primary concerns in connector manufacturing, it would be desirable to provide a connector which includes a connector housing that has terminal position assurance, a wire dressing shroud and strain relief capabilities, while satisfying the foregoing concerns.